“You can’t really touch Shai” – Chris Finch fires shots at ‘foul-baiting’ Oklahoma City Thunder in bold rant

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called out the OKC Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over their 'foul-baiting'.

“You can’t really touch Shai” – Chris Finch fires shots at ‘foul-baiting’ Oklahoma City Thunder in bold rant

Chris Finch calls out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC Thunder

The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off one of the most thrilling comebacks of the season, but head coach Chris Finch wasn’t entirely pleased after the final buzzer. His team’s 131-128 overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder was overshadowed by his frustration with how the game was officiated, especially for what he deemed to be an unfair whistle favoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC.

Despite trailing by as many as 25 points, the Timberwolves clawed their way back thanks to standout performances from Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards. McDaniels led Minnesota with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Edwards delivered a near triple-double, including the game-saving block in overtime. But even with the dramatic victory, Finch couldn’t help but call out the Thunder’s physical style of play.

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It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. They really do. They foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to play through it.

Chris Finch said in his postgame interview

After the game, Chris Finch let his frustrations be known when discussing the difficulty of facing Oklahoma City’s aggressive defense and what he felt was an imbalance in how fouls were called throughout the night. The numbers back up Finch’s frustration. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in free throws made this season and is among the top players in free throw attempts per game.

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On Monday, SGA earned 17 trips to the line, converting 14 of them. However, Finch’s argument isn’t entirely airtight. The Timberwolves actually shot more free throws (39) than Oklahoma City (29) in this game, meaning the Wolves were also able to draw plenty of whistles.

Still, the head coach’s comments reflect a growing sentiment around the league that OKC’s aggressive defense often tests the limits of what the game officials are willing to allow. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, of course, is an expert at putting defenders in tough positions where fouling is the only option.

Anthony Edwards stuffs ‘MVP’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with clutch block

Just last month, Anthony Edwards openly praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, calling him the “MVP of the NBA” and an “unguardable” scorer. But on Monday night, the AntMan did something few have been able to do—he stopped SGA in a crucial moment when it mattered most. Back in January, Edwards told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that SGA is unguardable and the MVP of the league for that reason.

But on Monday, Anthony Edwards flipped the script. With seconds left in overtime and OKC trailing by one, Gilgeous-Alexander drove into the paint for what seemed like an easy go-ahead layup. Edwards had other plans. The Timberwolves’ star met SGA at the rim and delivered one of the cleanest, most clutch blocks of the season, sealing the game for Minnesota in dramatic fashion.

The game didn’t start out looking like a Timberwolves victory. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Minnesota fell into an early hole as OKC controlled the pace and built a 19-point halftime lead. However, the Wolves refused to back down. McDaniels stepped up in the absence of Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, finishing with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Naz Reid added 22 points and 11 boards, while Edwards nearly recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.